Renovation of Bus Shelter at Comeau Field & Rindge Ave ($75,000)

posted by Michelle Monsegur | 11sc
March 18, 2015

Rindge Avenue at Comeau Field, North Cambridge

This project entails a major redesign and renovation, with community participation, of the 83 bus shelter. New features will include acrylic panels with cut-out figures and a roof element evocative of nearby recreation and natural habitat.

This project entails the repair, redesign, and renovation of the deteriorated bus shelter at Comeau Field on Rindge Avenue in North Cambridge where the #83 bus turnaround is located.

Acrylic or plexiglass glass panels will be installed where they have been removed (please see two photo examples below). These new panels will have design elements consisting of small cut-outs in the forms of people in active recreation typical of the area -- swimming, baseball, football -- evocative of, among other things, the swimming hole history of Jerry's Pit, the former brickyards industry clay pit, immediately adjacent to the bus shelter. Some support beams will be removed from across the front of the existing shelter and the bench protruding at one end will either be modified, or restored as is.

A flat or 3-D sculptural element or elements will be mounted on the roof of the shelter, which will consist of one or more animals -- birds, for example -- appropriate to thishabitat, with possibly a human figure or figures, such as a bather or bathers, perhapswith a festive umbrella, also evocative of the recreational history, and current uses, ofthe area.

Residents and users in the immediate neighborhood will be invited to participate inconsidering, reviewing, and developing these design proposals as the project is moved along toward final completion.

The estimated cost includes materials, labor, installation, and design assistance.

At present, the “shelter” provides little protection from the elements in this densely populated neighborhood so it is important to retrofit the shelter!

I hope for more emphasis on improved function and structural integrity of the shelter. For example, a bench with both low and higher seat heights would better meet the needs of a wide range of users (for example, lower height for children and raised seat height for seniors and persons with disabilities). Other suggestions: a bench with arms on one end to support sitting and standing and enough free floor space under the roof of the structure for a person with a stroller or wheelchair to fit in the shelter and get cover.

Sounds like the high cost estimate may be about the art. The beauty of the natural setting is there in Jerry’s Pond, so perhaps a visual focus on that could lower the ultimate cost.

Sam Gompers commented
2015-03-26 00:53:11 -0400

The original estimate for this proposal was provided by the Arts Council, who did indeed commission this failed
project in the mid-90’s, for $75,000, which did seem exorbitant to those of us who worked on the Streets and
Sidewalks ‘Budget Delegate’ Committee. By the time CDD staff came back with different numbers for a “nice”
bus shelter (with community-based design and the artwork suggested), the figure was around $50,000. However,
the paper ballots had already been sent off to the printer and the number could not be changed to reflect this
more reasonable estimated price. We were told a “bare bones” shelter can go for about $20,000. As a member
of the committee, I worry that this high “estimate” will scare people off a good idea, and am confident that — should
it be among the winning proposals — we will find a way to complete this fine project for under $50,000!

Beverly commented
2015-03-25 21:05:13 -0400

75K is an absurd amount to spend on a single bus shelter (for comparison, a quick Google search shows $7000 for a basic model – which is already ridiculous if you ask me). If you’re going to drop that much money on this project, then it better be the best damn bus shelter the world has ever seen. Please consider these examples:

Ideas were submitted online by individuals and in in-person group meetings. The ideas were then combined and whittled down by “budget delegates,” who worked in teams to create detailed proposals with cost estimates from the city. None of the proposals have an individual’s name.

Mary Shillue commented
2015-03-23 13:32:11 -0400

Thelma, I think the ideas were crowdsourced and then narrowed down to the ones you see here (If you click on “view ideas” you can see all the ideas put forth – for some of the ideas, for example, public toilets, several people had similar ideas which were rolled up into one.) It looks like this bus shelter improvement was suggested by someone named “James.” I don’t know who worked up the detailed proposals.

Thelma Rittenhouse commented
2015-03-20 07:38:04 -0400

This looks like a proposal from the Public Art program of the Arts Council. Why isn’t proposer(s) identified?

Disclaimer: As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper. Otherwise we do not share any personally identifying information with any third party. For more complete information regarding the Public Records Law, please refer to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secretary of State’s office website as well as the text of the Public Records Law.